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<title>One man's trash, other man's treasure by Wolviecat</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26173834">One man's trash, other man's treasure</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolviecat/pseuds/Wolviecat'>Wolviecat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Mild Language</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:55:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>682</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26173834</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolviecat/pseuds/Wolviecat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There is something in the trash can in the alley...<br/>(Post The Endgame)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Banned Together Bingo 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>One man's trash, other man's treasure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the Banned Together bingo, row 1, column 1, "Vulgar Trash".<br/>(veeery loose. There is something vulgar in the trash can.)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She hated that alley.<br/>
Smelly and dark and suspicious, exactly the one you will read about in a murder report. But the other recycle bin was all the way across the park, which was just as creepy at this time of the day, plus it would force her to lug her giant bag of old soda bottles there, marking her as a very slow and unfit target to all the potential murderers.<br/>
So to the alley we go. </p><p>To make the whole situation worse, the bin was literally stuffed - there was no way to just tip the bag inside and run. No, she had to push every bottle in one by one, while looking around constantly, listening, ready to drop everything and run at the first sign of danger.<br/>
This was the reason why she was getting silver hair at her age.<br/>
Well, this and the fact her younger brother was suddenly three years older than her. </p><p>But everything went fine. No murderers, no muggers, no trash octopuses suddenly pulling her into the bin to snack on her. She squeezed the last bottle in, cleaned the spilled lemonade from her palms and turned to get home.<br/>
Thud.<br/>
She felt a cold sweat running down her back. This is it, she thought, and unless Spiderman or Miss Marvel or whoever is taking care of this part of New York will appear in the next minute, she is probably going to be killed/mugged/transported into an parallel dimension of fear and tentacles.<br/>
Thud.<br/>
She clenched her keys between her fingers. As if it could help her.<br/>
Thud.<br/>
There was a voice coming from the trash can. Something - or someone - was trapped inside by a cinder blocks balanced on the lid. She listened. It sounded human. Maybe some little asshole kid shoved their friend inside as a joke.<br/>
Thud.<br/>
"...then I rip off your balls and shove them up your…" screamed the trash can.<br/>
OK, maybe it wasn't exactly a child. More like a teenager. Or a squished adult. One way or another, she couldn't just leave them there to suffocate or bake when the heat wave comes. Carefully, praying that they will not slip and crush her toes, she pushed the cinder blocks off and then jumped back when the trash can lid went flying. </p><p>Followed by something so small and furry her mind automatically went back to Oscar the Grouch. Even more nasty and vulgar Oscar the Grouch, who was forced to move after the Sesame Street had been bought by some developer and turned into an Amazon warehouse or something when the PBS lost their funding. But as it shook dirt off of itself, it started to look less like a muppet and more like a…<br/>
"Raccoon!" she shrieked, remembering all the cautionary tales of people petting the fluffy little trash bears and ending up in a hospital pumped full of rabies vaccine. And she wasn't even sure her insurance was up and running again.<br/>
The trash bear in question threw up his paws in a mock scare. "Eeek, a human!" he deadpanned, before huffing impatiently. "Seriously, lady, after all these years..."<br/>
He was obviously waiting for some kind of recognition.<br/>
The only thing she could give him was a blank stare.<br/>
"Rocket? Doesn't ring any bell?"<br/>
Another blank stare.<br/>
"I've fought the freaking Thanos!"<br/>
She shrugged: "I've got Snapped." </p><p>He looked at her for a moment, and then he started laughing. It sounded kinda hysterical.<br/>
"Snapped!" he spat out when he finally caught his breath again: "That's just great. Everyone else had to chase the fans away with a stick and I… What are the odds?"<br/>
"Fifty-fifty," she said. He grinned - at least she hoped that it was a grin. She wasn't sure how raccoons are showing their emotion.<br/>
"I like you, lady." He held out his paw: "Rocket. From the Guardians of the Galaxy. One of the idiots who have saved this planet."<br/>
She shook his paw. It was slightly sticky.<br/>
"Wanna go for a coffee?"<br/>
She smiled: "Maybe later. When you are not smelling like a molding burger."</p>
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